Banana overnight oats are a delicious, fast, nutritious and filling breakfast. These low calorie overnight oats are vegan, dairy-free and great for weight loss. Fresh bananas are cheap, sweet and perfect with the creamy oats.
Convenient and easy, overnight oats are great for busy weekday mornings, camping, road trips, traveling or anywhere where you can't cook.
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These banana overnight oats use our vegan basic overnight oats recipe as the base!
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🧄 Ingredient notes
- Banana - fresh bananas are sweet, full of fiber and low in calories. They are delicious and healthy topping or mix-in for overnight oats. Use a ripe but firm banana.
- Old-fashioned rolled oats - do not use quick oats for this recipe, they turn out mushy. Don't use steel cut, they don't get soft enough to enjoy with this method. You want old-fashioned rolled oatmeal for this method of cooking oats.
- Plant-based milk - any vegan milk you enjoy should work here, like almond milk (pictured), soy milk, oat milk (for that double oat flavor!), coconut milk, cashew milk and rice milk. You can use unsweetened or sweetened original varieties, if you like. Vanilla milk works great, too. If using a sweetened milk, you may want to reduce or omit the added sweetener.
- Maple syrup - adds a slight maple flavor, along with unrefined sweetness. Adjust the amount of maple syrup up or down, based on your preferred sweetness. Omit, if you desire.
- Ground flax - adds health benefits of added fiber, along with omega-3. Flaxseed also thickens the oatmeal slightly.
- Plant-based yogurt - amps up the creaminess and protein. I used Forager unsweetened vanilla cashew yogurt here. Vegan yogurts made from cashew, soy, coconut, almond and oat will all work here. If using a sweetened yogurt, you may want to reduce or even omit the added maple syrup.
📋 Substitutions and variations
Here are some suitable substitution options for the ingredients:
- Banana - you can use frozen banana instead of fresh, but fresh is much nicer (if using frozen, add them the night before, so they can thaw overnight).
- Plant-based milk - Use any plant-based milk you enjoy. Vanilla-flavored milk works especially well in this recipe.
- Maple syrup - use another sweetener like sugar, brown sugar, date syrup, agave nectar or coconut sugar instead. Or, omit the added sweetener altogether.
- Flax - use chia seeds instead of ground flaxseed. Or, omit them (it will be less thick if you omit one of these options).
- Nut-free - make this nut-free by using a nut-free plant milk, such as soy milk, rice milk or oat milk.
- WFPBNO - make this whole food plant based no oil by using plant-based milk and yogurt with no added oil or refined sugar.
- SOS-free - make this salt-, sugar- and oil-free by using a plant-based milk and yogurt with no added salt, sugar or oil. Omit the maple syrup, if desired.
Here are some variation ideas for these banana overnight oats:
- Blueberry Banana - add blueberries with the banana
- Bananas and Cream - top with extra vanilla yogurt for your cream layer
- Banana Cinnamon - add ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
🔪 Instructions
Step by step instructions for how to make banana overnight oats.
Add rolled oats to a pint-size mason jar or container that holds at least 2 cups.
Pour in plant-based milk.
Add maple syrup (or other preferred sweetener) to jar.
Add ground flaxseed (or chia seeds) to jar.
Add plant-based yogurt to jar.
It will look like this when you've added all your ingredients.
Screw on your lid and then shake it all up! Or, use a spoon to mix all the ingredients together. Place jar in refrigerator overnight or at least 2 hours. After mixing the oats, you can add your sliced banana now, or do it when you eat them.
When you're ready to eat them, pull it out of the fridge and eat cold or warm up in microwave for 30-60 seconds. Add your fresh sliced banana now, if you didn't add them before.
⭐️ Expert tips
- If you want to make your overnight oats look pretty, mix them up in a separate container. Then, once mixed, spoon into a jar, glass or bowl and carefully add other toppings to create clean layers. Then, refrigerate. Or, create layers just before eating or serving.
- Use a canning funnel to add ingredients to jars without making a mess
🍳 Equipment
- a container to hold your overnight oats
- measuring spoons and cups
What is the best container or jar for overnight oats?
Wide Mouth Mason Jar - Pint Size - why?
- Perfect size - This jar holds 16 ounces or 2 cups, which gives you plenty of room to make your oats, as well as plenty of room for any toppings you want to add.
- Less mess when filling - The wide mouth opening makes it easier to pour in your measured ingredients without spilling them everywhere.
- Easy to eat out of
You can buy these types of jars at Walmart and some well-stocked grocery stores for about $12 for 12 jars with lids. You can also buy the wide mouth mason jars online at Amazon, but they are more expensive there.
Tip: The best container for a double serving of overnight oats is a wide mouth mason jar in quart size. This will hold 1 cup dry oats + liquid and any toppings you want. This is great for serving those who need or want a larger breakfast.
🥡 Make ahead and storage tips
Overnight oats are perfect for meal prep and batch cooking. Make them Sunday night to have breakfast ready to go all week long. Store overnight oats in the refrigerator, combined, for up to 5 days.
For best texture and flavor, mix your banana in the day of or eat them within 3 days. If you add your banana on top the day you eat them, the plain oats are good for 5 days.
This recipe does not stand up well to freezing.
❓ FAQ
Yes! Add frozen banana slices to overnight oats the night before and it will thaw overnight.
For one serving of banana overnight oats using ½ cup rolled oats, ½ cup plant-based milk, 2 tablespoons yogurt, 1 teaspoon flaxseed and 2 teaspoons maple syrup and one banana the calories are 344.
Yes! Instead of milk, you can use water or steeped tea for your liquid. The result will be less creamy.
💜 More recipes you'll love
If you love this banana overnight oats recipe, check out these other plant-based breakfast recipes!
Love this recipe?
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📖 Recipe
Banana Overnight Oats (vegan)
Equipment
- Glass jar, pint-sized or bowl, container with cover
Ingredients
- ½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- ½ cup plant-based milk almond milk, soy milk, oat milk, etc.
- 2 tablespoons plant-based yogurt cashew yogurt, soy yogurt, coconut yogurt, etc.
- 1 teaspoon ground flaxseed or chia seeds
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup or other sweetener (sugar, brown sugar, agave nectar, coconut sugar, date syrup)
- 1 fresh banana peeled and sliced
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a glass jar, bowl or container that will hold at least 12 and up to 16 ounces (this allows space for the oats and any toppings you add later). Stir everything together.½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats, ½ cup plant-based milk, 2 tablespoons plant-based yogurt, 1 teaspoon ground flaxseed, 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- Mix in your sliced banana to jar now or when you are ready to eat it.1 fresh banana
- Place a lid or cover on the container. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
- Eat cold or microwave for 30-60 seconds to warm up. Prepared overnight oats will stay good stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If you mix the banana in with the oats, they are best eaten within 3 days.
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